The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa Post Correspondent
A Buhera man 47-year-old, Hamutyi Mutangi was last week jailed for four years after being found guilty of fraudulently claiming Ecosure benefits for two sisters he had registered as policy holders, years after their deaths.
Mutangi, of Parovi Village, under Chief Chamutsa, in Buhera last Friday appeared before Chipinge magistrate Mr Poterai Gwezhira for sentencing on the fraud charges.
He had pleaded not guilty, but Mr Gwezhira convicted him due to overwhelming evidence adduced in court.
Prosecutor Mr Gift Bikita proved that sometimes in February 2017, Mutangi made a mobile Ecosure registration for his sister Kungurirai Violet Chamutsa (as policy holder).
Violet had died in July 2002.
“On May 20, 2017, he made an Ecosure funeral policy claim purporting that the policy holder (Violet) had passed away on May 6, 2017 due to short illness.
“He submitted claim forms and was paid $2 000 on his Ecocash number 0774 420165 from Ecosure as funeral benefits for his late sister,” he said.
Mr Bikita said using the modus oparandi, Mutangi, on September 6, 2017, around 12 noon, made another Ecosure mobile registration for his other late sister Constance Chamutsa (as a policy holder).
Constance had died in 2006.
“On July 31, 2018, Mutangi acquired a death certificate from district registry at Birchenough Bridge sub-office after supplying information that Constance had died on July 20, 2018 when in actual fact she had died sometime in 2007, in South Africa.
On August 1, 2018, Mutangi as the beneficiary of the Ecosure funeral policy, submitted some claims forms at Econet Chipinge branch.
“He was claiming $15 000 on the misrepresentation that his sister had died on July 20, 2018 due to a traffic road accident as reflected on the death certificate.
“The complainant checked into his system and discovered that Mutangi had made a similar claim in respect to his other late sister Kungurirai Chamutsa.
“The complainant then made internal investigations and discovered that the alleged policy holder (Constance) had actually died in 2007.”
The matter was reported at Chipinge CID, leading to Mutangi’s arrest.
Mr Gwezhira treated both cases as one for sentencing.
He was slapped four years in jail, of which one year was set aside on condition that he restitutes Ecosure ($2 000) through the clerk of court.
